Friday Night Gossip
by MonkeyPajamas
Summary: Patterson and Zapata discuss what's going on with Jane/Kurt… Some deleted scenes, if you will, from Terp4Life's story Beach Weekend
1. Friday Night Gossip

Author's Note: I don't own _Blindspot_ or these characters. I don't even own the story I am basing this idea off of. So don't sue me, okay?

If you haven't read the absolutely lovely Beach Weekend by **Terp4Life** , you should. I mean, I hope this works as a standalone piece, but it almost certainly helps if you've read Beach Weekend to put it in some context.

* * *

Tasha Zapata couldn't remember the last time she had a Friday off. Certainly it had been years, since before she started at Quantico, at the very least. Fridays were just another day in their line of work. Criminals didn't exactly take breaks on the weekends, no matter how much she wished they would. But Kurt had given them the weekend off, and she was not going to let it go to waste. She'd slept in as late as she could (which in this case turned out to be 7:08, but still, she took it). She spent the day in her pajamas watching trashy daytime tv, and then at nightfall, she got dressed, ready to go out and enjoy herself.

She walked down Church Street, almost ready to pass by Two Hands Bar, when a flash of blond caught her eye. This was their normal meeting spot, a perennial cop bar, where they came after a long day (or night) of work, ready to drown their pain and sorrows in whatever was flowing from the tap. It was not a place to go when you were looking for a night of wild, carefree fun. But if Patterson was in there alone, Zapata knew she had to at least check in.

"Hey," she said, sliding on the stool next to her friend. "Where's Robert? I thought for sure you two would be enjoying the long weekend together," she grinned suggestively, gently elbowing Patterson in the side.

Patterson rolled her eyes. "He's in England, visiting with his family. Which means, on the one weekend I have free, my boyfriend is 3,000 miles away. Great timing, right?" She took another shot of her drink, slamming the empty glass onto the table in frustration.

"Margarita, please" Tasha ordered as the bartender came by. "Well, at least you have someone to miss. I'm the one that should be getting drunk tonight."

Patterson looked over, surprised. "Wait, what about that one guy, from a few months ago? Tasha, he seemed like a good guy!" Patterson asked, her voice pleading. "Every time you actually meet someone nice, you end it! Come on Tash!"

Tasha glared at Patterson, "Who, Nathan? Oh god, don't even mention that jerk. Trust me, if that's all that's out there, I'll gladly remain single."

"He was a nice guy, though." She caught sight of Zapata's glare from the corner of her eye, and smiled in response. "Okay, okay. Well, then fine, tonight, we are two single ladies… getting drunk at a bar surrounded by our coworkers," she sighed. She glanced around the bar. It was true they knew nearly everyone here in some professional capacity – and she suddenly realized that it probably really wasn't the best place to be spending her night off. "Well, that's pathetic."

"Oh, we should call Jane!" Tasha exclaimed. "It's way less depressing when it's _three_ of us. Then we're not lonely, we're just friends having a girls' night! We'll have so much fun, we can go to Apotheke, then head over to Tiny's," Zapata's eyes lit up as she listed all the places she was planning on going anyways. She pulled out her phone, ready to text Jane, telling her where to meet them.

Patterson gasped, reaching out, nearly hitting the phone out of Zapata's hand. "Wait! You don't know?"

"Know what? What happened?" Zapata asked, eagerly. She instantly forgot what she was about to do, ready to hear the newest gossip. Something had clearly happened since they left work yesterday, although she didn't know how Patterson could know and not her – she thought for sure Patterson had left before her.

Patterson's eyes twinkled as she teased her friend. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't tell… it isn't my place to say anything…"

Tasha tried to keep her voice firm, despite her smile. "Patterson, I swear to god, if you don't spill your guts right now, I'll go back to the office and change all your file configurations, don't even tempt me."

"Jane's at the beach. With Weller." Patterson squealed with excitement.

"What!?" Tasha shouted, nearly snorting her drink in the process. "You're kidding?"

"No joke. She called me yesterday, right after we left work. She needed a swim suit," Patterson raised her eyebrows suggestively. "She needed help making sure she chose the right one. I was willing to help in any way I could, of course."

"Oh, Patterson, you didn't…" The blond just grinned in response. "So, they're at the beach together…"

"And she's wearing this…." Patterson pulled out her phone, quickly swiping to find the picture she'd taken of the swim suit while still at the mall.

Tasha grabbed the phone. "Patterson, you convinced Jane to buy a bikini? Are you trying to give Kurt a heart attack?"

Patterson laughed. "I know. I mean, I told her people were already going to be staring at her. _Which is true_ ," she tried to defend herself. "She might as well show off her body. And I am sure Kurt will let her know how much he appreciates it." She couldn't help but laugh as she pictured her boss's reaction. That man had no poker face when it came to his feelings about Jane, he never had. If he liked what he saw, and Patterson had no reason to doubt that he would, Jane would know it, instantly.

"Good. Because those sad, puppy dog eyes of theirs are getting old."

"I know, right?" Patterson exclaimed. "And if seeing her in this," Patterson grabbed her phone back from Zapata, "Doesn't get the ball rolling between them, nothing will."

"How long do you think they'll try and keep this a secret?" Zapata wondered out loud. She was sure, just like Patterson was, that something was bound to happen between the two of them this weekend.

"Oh, they can't even begin to try and hide it. I mean, if this is what they're like when they **aren't** together….By Monday, they won't be able to keep their hands off of each other."

"Fifty bucks?" Tasha winked at her friend.

"Tasha, we can't bet – "

"One hundred dollars says they'll be openly making out in the office by Friday."

"Deal."

* * *

I know that was short, especially considering the source material. But I just had this idea for a scene, and with permission for Terp4Life, this happened. So, I hope you enjoy!

Let me know what you think. As always, reviews are appreciated.


	2. Saturday Morning Texts

Author's Note: Still don't own _Blindspot_ or Beach Weekend. But I'm still writing this. Anyways, again, this chapter should, fingers crossed, work as a standalone story, but always helps if you read _Beach Weekend_ also. Once we had the idea to continue it, I had to continue it!

* * *

Patterson yawned as she settled into her chair, resting her legs over the side. It had been too long since they'd gone out for a proper girls' night, and it had been fun to hang out with Tasha the night before. They'd stayed out late, going from bar to bar as last calls started. She was still nursing a pretty powerful hangover this morning, but it was worth it. Besides, with Robert out of town, she'd needed a carefree night with her friend.

She grabbed the ibuprofen from the coffee table, and managed to get the top off with minimal struggle. Those damn childproof caps had done her in more times than she cared to admit. She swallowed two tablets with her coffee and pulled out the crossword puzzle. She could usually finish the Saturday puzzles in less than ten minutes, but she had a feeling she wasn't going to be breaking any records today.

"Resounding Question of the 1980s? Oh great, stumped on 1-across," she mumbled to herself.

She'd filled in only a few squares when her phone rang, the loud, blaring ring sounding like a jackhammer in her skull.

She didn't even check to see who it was – only one person would be bothering to call her this early in the morning. "Hey," she answered, trying to sound upbeat, but could hear the edge in her own voice.

"Are you okay, Patterson?" his voice was concerned. She loved that about him – most of the time at least. Today, she wanted to be alone with her crossword, allowing herself to feel miserable - at least for a little longer.

"Fine, just went out with Tasha last night. Girls' night," she admitted, no longer trying to keep her voice cheerful.

Robert told her a bit about his family, and what they were doing, but soon said goodbye, promising to call her back later, once she was feeling up to it.

She had barely picked up her crossword again, when the phone chimed, indicating a text message. She gave a small chuckle; Robert always seemed to remember something right after they'd finished talking. She quickly glanced down, ready to swipe off the notification.

"Jane!" She gasped out loud. There was no text, but Patterson could tell Jane had sent a picture. All thoughts of her headache gone, she quickly unlocked her phone, opening the message. She couldn't wait to see what Jane had sent, especially after the conversation with Tasha the night before.

Patterson nearly squealed with delight as the pictures came in. Of course she had hoped that Jane would send a picture (after all, she had not so subtly requested one), but she certainly hadn't expected to get one with Jane and Weller… with their arms wrapped around each other. She quickly clicked it open. His arm was draped around her shoulder, her arm pulling him closer around his waist. She could barely believe it was them. They looked so happy, so comfortable together, like this was how they always were. Patterson couldn't believe that not even 48 hours ago, they had been chasing criminals through the streets of New York.

It was only then she remembered there was a second picture. She clicked on that attachment, and if the first picture had left any doubt about Jane's and Kurt's feelings for each other, it was gone the moment she saw the second picture. They weren't even looking at the camera, but instead, captured in a candid moment. Weller had his arms around her waist, Jane leaning back against him. It was such a simple moment, but the message was clear – they were in a state of pure bliss together.

Patterson quickly texted back, " _Jane!_ _Looks like you two are having fun ;) I need details!"_

She stared at her phone, biting her lip impatiently. She knew she shouldn't expect a reply immediately. They were at the beach, and besides, Jane looked like she was having too much fun to be checking her phone. At least she could still gossip with Tasha. She clicked to forward the message to Tasha, " _I think we may have our answer_ _:)_ "

Tasha replied nearly immediately, " _Easiest hundred bucks I've ever made. Did she say anything else?_ "

Patterson laughed out loud in her empty apartment. " _Technically we don't know for sure yet. Besides wasn't the bet on them making out at the office? For all we know, what happens at the beach stays at the beach._ "

" _Yeah right, we'll know by Monday._ "

Patterson put down her phone, trying to concentrate on the crossword puzzle. "57 across… Like a certain side? 3 letters… Far. The far side!"

She continued to work, mumbling out the clues as she worked through them. Every few minutes, she checked her phone, hoping to have a reply from Jane.

"39 down… Beach Sights." Patterson couldn't help but chuckle. "C-A-S…. Castles." Patterson tried to imagine Weller building a sand castle. Jane, it wasn't as hard to imagine; Jane had always been more carefree than Weller, faster with the smiles and jokes. Weller was too serious to actually build a sand castle, even at the beach. Although, she'd never seen him quite as happy as he was in those pictures. She picked up her phone again. Sigh, still nothing. Of course, it had only been about 30 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. She snapped a picture of the clue, and sent it to Jane – " _Build any sand castles? ;)_ " she added.

As if on cue, a text from Tasha came in. " _Please tell me she texted you back! I need to know what's going on!_ "

Patterson sighed, checking once again to make sure she hadn't somehow missed seeing the text. " _Nothing yet_ ," she replied. She switched back to Jane's thread. " _Just what are you two doing that you can't even text your friends back?_ " She waited a few minutes, then added, " _Don't do anything I wouldn't do ;) We won't forget about this come Monday._ "

It took a while, but Patterson finished the crossword puzzle. She quickly snapped a picture of it, sending it to Robert along with an apology for her crankiness that morning. She checked her phone once again, and still no reply from Jane. Patterson sighed. She was glad her friend was having fun, but now, she was out of options and had no excuse but to start her day.

Just after lunch, her phone chimed once more. Patterson rushed over, hoping it was finally a reply from Jane. " _Let's just say, we're having a great weekend ;) Weller says hi, and "thanks for picking out the bikini, Patterson."_ " Patterson couldn't help but laugh. She put down her phone, happy that her friends had finally figured out what everyone else knew – just how much they really did love each other. She'd bug them on Monday for all the details, but for now, she'd let them enjoy the rest of their weekend in peace.

* * *

I like Patterson. I want to _be_ Patterson when I grow up.

As always, I'd love some favorites or reviews. I'm needy like that.


	3. D&D and GGD

Author's Note: I keep leaving this as complete, because I swear; I originally thought it was just going to be a one shot. Then **Terp4Life** has to keep being awesome, so I guess I have to keep writing. This chapter took longer than I wanted because **Terp4Life** is also as awesome in reality as she is online. Except, then reality kicked my butt and it took me a while to write.

Still don't own anything.

* * *

Patterson sighed, staring around at her apartment. It wasn't like she was obsessed with keeping it clean. In fact, she generally preferred it at the 'well organized chaos' level. But since she'd been spending more and more time at Robert's place, it had gone from organized chaos to simply chaotic chaos. Bills, notes, even old crosswords – everything that she'd been planning to deal with 'later' was still scattered about on her table. The plants (the few that were still alive at least) were drooping, desperately in need of water. Robert had been talking about moving in together, and although she'd been hesitant, but now she realized maybe it wasn't the worst idea ever.

But that didn't matter today. Somehow, she had three hours to get her apartment presentable again.

For years now, she'd been part of a D&D gaming brunch. They all took turns hosting it – at least, everyone else did. The first year, she'd tried. But after last minute cancellations, or having to run out mid game, Patterson was effectively relieved of hosting duties. Now she just showed up whenever she actually had a free Sunday (which was less often than she liked), but hadn't even attempted to host one at her place in at least three years.

So when Weller had given them the weekend off, she quickly let everyone know she would be hosting – that she 100% absolutely would not, could not, be called into work, so yes she was finally taking her turn. And only then did Patterson realize that meant that people would actually be coming over to her apartment.

It's not that any of them were clean freaks, per say. They were all more than a little bit geeky and would rather be playing a video game than cleaning… but at the very least, Patterson needed to clean off the table so they had some place to play.

She'd already been cleaning for a few hours or so when her phone chimed. " _Hey, still on for today? You promise you aren't going to leave us hanging while you save the world or something?_ "

" _Promise. Just get your butt over here. Hey, just wondering – it's a little dark here. How many wizards does it take to change a light bulb? ;)_ " Patterson chuckled at their joke, and was about to put her phone back down when the other unread message caught her eye. Jane. When had she missed that? It was from late last night, but surely she'd checked her phone already this morning, hadn't she?

" _Saw a band called GooGoo Dolls next to the beach, then laid in the sand looking at the stars. Not a bad night_." Patterson quickly opened up the attachments. The first one was rather generic; she guessed it was of the band, bathed in purple lights. The second one though, was what she was hoping for. Patterson squealed with delight as she saw the selfie Jane took with Weller, smiling cheek to cheek. She could barely even recognize Weller; she didn't think she'd ever seen him smile that much – she wasn't even sure the last time she'd seen him smile at all. Something magical had happened on that trip, that she was sure of. She racked her brain, trying to think of a song by the GooGoo Dolls. The band sounded familiar, but she hadn't thought of them in years. The familiar refrain of "Broadway" popped into her head, and she hummed along as she replied.

" _Jane! Where is this magical place? A beach concert then a night under the stars!? You two are so cute together! Details woman, details. Don't even try to avoid us come Monday."_

For the first time in a while, Patterson was looking forward to Monday. It was looking more and more likely Tasha would be right – something major had happened between the two of them this weekend. And although she suspected they would try and keep it low-key… well, she also knew how many times Robert and she had been caught by well-meaning coworkers. Besides, however much Jane tried to deny or avoid this subject come Monday; Patterson knew they would have their answer as soon as they looked her in the eye. That woman had no poker face when it came to her feelings about Weller.

Patterson knew better than to expect a reply any time soon, if at all. But that didn't stop her from checking her phone every few minutes as she continued to clean. Besides, her friends still didn't quite believe her, texting and asking repeatedly if she was sure she wasn't going to cancel or run out, or any one of a thousand other possibilities that they had thought up. She almost thought about cancelling on them, just to shut them up. Of course that would just prove their point, but right now, it almost seemed worth it. But then again, it did provide an excuse to check for a text from Jane, so maybe it wasn't all bad.

When her friends arrived, they quickly fell back into familiar habits and roles. Summer meant work and travel, and it had been a few weeks since they had all been together, so they spent a while catching up about their lives – new romances, old friends, and crazy work. Years ago, when they'd first started this group, they had nothing in common except a shared love of Dungeons and Dragons. But in the following years, they'd grown close. Every week, they shared these same stories as they played the game, each time learning something new. Even when she'd been gone for a while, it always felt natural joining back in with bad jokes and old habits. Patterson quickly forgot about Jane and Kurt as she talked to her friends, asked their opinion of moving in with Robert, catching up on everything that was going on in their lives.

It wasn't until after dinner, when she got a text from Tasha that she remembered. " _Hey. Going to get into work early tomorrow – make sure they don't try and sneak in, pretend everything is normal. Gotta catch them in the act._ "

Patterson couldn't help but laugh. That was exactly the kind of thing Tasha would think of. " _I'll be there… You know Weller's usually there before 7, right?"_

"God, r _eally? What is up with that guy? Fine. 6:30?_ "

" _6:30. I'll bring the coffee. LOTS of coffee._ "

* * *

True story, my brother played (plays?) D&D for years, and when I found out Ashley did, we actually had a really nice bonding moment talking about it. Because for once, our dorkiness had a small overlap.

One more chapter after this one.

If you like it fave/follow/review please.


	4. Monday Morning Surveillance

Author's Note: I still don't own anything.

* * *

The sun was annoyingly bright, and Zapata groaned as she walked up from the subway station. How could it be this bright out, it was barely 6:30. "Weller does this willingly? Every day?" she thought. She loved her job, but she wasn't exactly excited about being at work this early on a Monday (or any day, if she was being honest with herself.) "Patterson better have that coffee she promised," Zapata mumbled out loud.

"Hey, Tasha!" the security guard greeted her warmly. He always had a smile for everyone that walked into the building, and a seemingly limitless memory for names and faces. "You're here early today. Hope that isn't a bad sign," he said, laughing.

Zapata couldn't help but give a little laugh; his positive attitude was contagious. "No, at least I hope not. But you know it's never actually a slow day here." She gave a small wave goodbye and was almost to the elevator when she turned back. "Hey, Wilson, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, you know I got you. Whatta need?"

Tasha bit her lip, giving a quick glance around. "Um, when Agent Weller or Jane gets here, can you just call me? Give me a heads up?"

Wilson looked at her suspiciously, "Sure, but why? You in trouble, Tash?"

Zapata brushed it off. "No, nothing like that, we, uh, we've got a little surprise, to thank him for giving us the weekend off."

"Well, he should be here soon, I guess, but I'll call up," Wilson still looked a bit confused at the request, but there was no harm in letting her know when Weller was on his way up.

Zapata smiled warmly at her friend, "Thanks." Now that she had a plan in mind, this early morning may not be so bad. It may not be much, but those few minutes could make a difference.

As Tasha made her way into the office, she found Patterson, already there. The blonde was smiling excitedly, but all Tasha noticed were the two cups of still steaming coffee in her hands.

"Do you think they'll come in together? Oh my god, do you think they spent the night together? Or maybe they'll purposely come in separately. I'm sure they'll at least hold hands or something, they'll probably kiss. They clearly are together, no matter how much they'll try to deny it," the words tumbled out of Patterson's mouth.

Tasha just narrowed her eyes, glaring at her friend. "How can you be so… happy?"

"Caffeine," she answered perkily, handing a cup over to Tasha. "Besides, it shouldn't be much longer now.

Xx

Over an hour later, there was still no sign of Weller or Jane. Tasha grumbled. The coffee had placated her for a while, but now the realization that she had just gotten to work early for no reason was setting in. "Patterson, I thought you said he got here early. No one else is here, not even Reade."

"He is!" Patterson exclaimed. She quickly typed on her computer, and pulled up their time sheets. "Look – 7:04, 7:01, 6:55, 7:06, 7:00… It goes on and on! The latest he's gotten here is 7:17 and that was a few months ago. Even Jane, she's almost always here by now – 7:22, 7:36, 7:29."

"Do these people hate sleep or something? Maybe they decided to stay at the beach another day? Give us a four day weekend, and just forgot to tell us?"

"They'll be here," Patterson let out a small yawn, the only crack in her otherwise upbeat appearance this morning. "Besides, I was able to go through a lot of the new information my team uncovered during the weekend, and start getting it sorted. There may be a new lead with the star and circle tattoo on her leg."

Zapata sighed, "So I've been sitting here, just waiting for them to show up, and you've actually been working?"

Patterson glanced around, "Well, yeah…"

Zapata turned back to her desk, sighing, before pulling out some paperwork that she'd left from the last case. As much as she hated to admit it, Patterson was right. She should at least try and get something done while waiting.

Xx

Reade and a few other agents slowly started to file their way in, but it was after 9 and no one had seen or heard anything from Weller or Jane. The three agents had started to discuss a few leads, comparing notes on paperwork, when Zapata's phone started to ring.

"Hey, Tash, both of them are on their way up now." Wilson's friendly voice greeted her on the other line. "You know, strange that they're both – "

"Thanks, Wilson," Tasha cut him off. They'd been so busy, she'd almost forgotten the whole reason they'd gotten there so early. "Patterson! They're on their way up! _Together_."

"Really?" Patterson looked at Zapata and then towards the elevator bay. "How do you know?"

Tasha gave a sly smile. "I asked Wilson to let me know… so I could do this," Tasha turned her monitor towards Patterson, as the SIOC elevator footage filled the screen, with Jane and Kurt in plain view.

Patterson let out an excited gasp. "This is brilliant!" she exclaimed. "Look at the two of them!"

They were alone in the elevator, with Jane standing towards the back, but Weller, instead of standing beside her, was standing directly in front of Jane, looking down at her. When Weller reached up, cupping Jane's cheek, Patterson found herself biting her lip in excitement. "Come on, come on, kiss already!" she exclaimed, her smile widening every moment.

"I'm so gonna win this bet," Tasha muttered under her breath. "Yes!" she shouted, a bit louder than she intended. "Pay up, Patterson. They kissed."

Patterson slapped Tasha playfully on the shoulder. "That doesn't count. Oh, shoot, close it, close it! They're almost here!" Patterson reached over Tasha's shoulder, frantically trying to hit the exit button. "Wait, did he just… awwww." Patterson paused as she noticed the gentle way Weller rubbed Jane's back.

Zapata quickly hit the exit, closing the screen and once again displaying the standard FBI desktop. "Let's go…. Say hello," Tasha said, with a twinkle in her eye.

Both women walked over to where Weller and Jane now stood, barely able to contain their excitement.

"Hey you two, nice of you to join us."

* * *

So… you know what I said about the "last chapter"…. Apparently I lied. There's at least one more. But when I started with this idea, I just wrote so much, and this seemed like a better chapter break. But, probably won't be too much longer, as long as that 'real life' thing doesn't interfere too much.

Faves/Follows/and always reviews are appreciated!


	5. Monday's Interrogation

Author's Note: I don't own these characters or this idea, but I am sure having fun with it! Sorry it took a bit longer, I got sick and although I tried, a drugged up haze was not the best way to write this story.

* * *

"Jane, we need you in Patterson's lab. Right _now_ ," Zapata 'whispered' to Jane. She hadn't woken up at the crack of dawn to only get half answers; no, she needed details. Sure she was happy for her friends, of course. But that doesn't mean she wasn't curious. And besides, although she could technically argue that the kiss on the elevator meant she won the bet, she needed to make sure what really happened at the beach first. She looped her arm around Jane's and started pulling Jane back towards Patterson's lab.

Patterson could barely stifle her laughter. Poor Jane had no idea what was coming. She grabbed Jane's other arm, practically skipping alongside her coworkers. "We told you we'd need details," she teased, her voice sing songy.

"Um, but what about work," Jane protested weakly, glancing at her desk as they pulled her along. She had known her friends weren't going to let her off easy (that much was obvious from their texts), but she had hope that their little 'show' by the elevators would be the end of it.

"Some of us have been here for three hours already, _working_ ," Tasha stressed the last word. Sure, she hadn't exactly been working the _whole_ time, but then again, clearly she had done more than Jane and Weller. Besides, a case could come in at any moment, so they needed to question Jane now, while they had the chance.

"Wait, what?" Jane looked at Tasha, confused. Three hours? Just how late had they been in getting into the office this morning?

When they reached her lab, Patterson quickly shooed away the other members of her team, ensuring they were alone, while Zapata lead Jane over to the stools, before sitting down across from her.

"So, spill," Zapata started.

"We, uh, we had fun." Jane said, a blush slowly spreading across her face.

"I knew it!" Patterson shouted with glee, pumping her fists in excitement.

Jane couldn't help but laugh. She knew what she was getting into, but it was nice to have someone to share this with. After spending the weekend under Sarah's watchful gaze, it was nice to just be able to talk freely about their relationship and what had developed. Not that she was planning on telling them everything, of course. But they were both trained FBI agents, and more importantly, her friends. At least this way she could try and pretend she had some sense of control over the information flow.

"So, he liked the swim suit, I take it," Patterson said. Of course she already knew the answer to this, but now she could actually _see_ Jane's reaction. Patterson could barely suppress a giggle as Jane's cheeks flashed bright red.

"Yeah," Jane said shyly. She closed her eyes, and instantly, she was transported back to that first morning on the beach. How nervous she had been as she took off her clothes. And then, before she even could see him, how she felt Kurt's eyes on her. But instead of making her anxious or self-conscious, she felt calm. In that moment, she had seen herself through his eyes. And she felt beautiful.

"It was a little strange at first," Jane bit her lip. Under Kurt's watchful eyes, she had felt beautiful. But in the same moment, the memory of all the other reactions her tattooed body had gotten that week came rushing back. The look of disgust in other's eyes, the rude comments. "Here, I mean, sometimes I still get an odd look or something. But there…" her voice dropped off, her eyes downcast.

Patterson's heart ached. She reached out, gently rubbing Jane's arm. Even though she knew Jane had had a great time on vacation, clearly there were still some painful memories that were dredged up during the time at the beach. Maybe her instincts had been wrong, Patterson thought. Sure people would have stared regardless, but that didn't mean she had to encourage Jane to get the skimpiest bikini possible.

Jane took a deep breath before continuing. "Sarah and Kurt were great though." She gave a weak laugh, "Sarah even said it was just because they were jealous."

"With your body, hell yeah they are," Zapata replied. "You look hot in anything, embrace it!"

Jane's eyes brightened and she gave a small, but genuine laugh. "Uh, thanks. But that was all Patterson's doing." She smiled at her friends. "Thank you."

"And what is this about sunscreen? What happened?" Zapata smirked. She had seen that look between the two of them when they had mentioned it outside. Of course, the initial question was more general curiosity, nothing more. But the way both of them snapped to attention clearly showed there was more to the story than they were letting on.

Jane hadn't known it was possible to get any redder than she was before, but now her cheeks felt even warmer. Why did they have to mention the sunscreen? She quickly glanced down at her arms; there was no way they could have actually gotten sun burnt, right? She didn't _think_ she looked tanned, but then again, the only place she could potentially see a tan line was a bit inaccessible right now.

"The fact that you just went ten shades of red proves that there's more to this story," Zapata egged her on.

"Nothing!" Jane insisted, an involuntary smile spreading across her face.

"No, if it was nothing, you guys would have just brushed it off when we first asked you. Instead, you both freaked out and started blushing. Spill."

"There's nothing to spill. It's just sunscreen." Jane insisted once more. Of course there was plenty more to the story. She didn't know if she could ever look at sunscreen again without feeling the same tingle she had felt as Kurt had rubbed it in, taking his time, tracing the lines of her tattoos up and down her back. Just the memory of it was so intense; she once again was forgetting how to breathe.

Patterson narrowed her eyes. Clearly, there was something about that sunscreen, more than Jane was willing to tell them. But this was not the right approach, they'd have to get it out of her another way. "Fine. We'll move on. Tell us about the trip. So we know you guys saw the Goo Goo Dolls – which, by the way, I listened to a few of their songs and so great. But, anyways, what else?"

Jane went silent, a smile spreading across her face. How could explain what the past three days had been like? So much had happened. Thursday felt like a lifetime ago. "Yeah, they played at this little park, right on the beach. It was so…. great." Jane sighed happily, the memory of Kurt singing in her ear during the car ride in her head. "Hey, can you help me get some of their songs?"

"Jane, seriously? We live in NYC, the music capital of the world, and you are getting swept away by a concert at the beach? I mean, I'm sure it was cool and all that, but," Tasha pulled out her phone, and a few clicks later, "Just this month, we can go see Beyoncé, Bon Iver, Teagan and Sara, even Bieber if that's what you're into."

Jane laughed, "It was pretty special, but… maybe next time?" she offered hopefully. Her first concert experience had been one for the memory books, but maybe going to one with her friends would be just as fun. Well, at least a different kind of fun.

"Fine, we'll download the songs for you, but what else?"

"Well, the beach was nice. The waves were kind of intense the first day, but it was kind of fun, getting pushed along by the current. Sawyer _loved_ it. Then we built this sand castle with him, it was pretty impressive actually. Sawyer clearly knew what he wanted to do; he had these crazy tall towers with spires on them, arches and walls. I think he even made a staircase. It looked awesome." Jane pulled out her phone, searching for the picture. She was sure Sarah had sent it to her at some point. "Oh, here it is," she held out the phone, showing them the picture of the castle with the construction crew behind it.

"Whoa, Sawyer did that? That's smart. See, a lot of people don't realize how important the ratio of water to sand is. About a one to one ratio is best, as long as the water has a place to drain. But see here," Patterson took Jane's phone, enlarging the image, "Sawyer thought ahead and made the structures stable enough so that when excess water was around, it was easy enough to drain and not lead to collapse."

Jane took back her phone, and looked once again at the image. "Pretty sure you're giving him way too much credit there. I think he just was having fun bossing us around."

"Okay, okay, fine. The beach, the concert, the sand castle, what else, what else. And I mean good stuff this time," Tasha teased.

"Well," Jane bit her lip to stop from smiling so much. "So, that Friday night, we went to this seafood restaurant. Every table had a fire in the middle of it. Like, an actual fire. It was so mesmerizing watching the flames dance. The food was delicious. And then it started to rain, but we just walked down the boardwalk, and we were soaking wet, and then…" she could feel Tasha's and Patterson's excitement radiating as she paused. "Then, we kissed. I know it's totally cliché, but it was… perfect."

Patterson turned to Tasha, her smile wide. "Friday night," she said. "They kissed on Friday night." She turned her attention back to Jane. "So, you love him, right?" Her voice was straightforward, as if she was simply stating a fact.

Zapata sighed, staring at Patterson, before turning her attention back to Jane. "Well, of course she loves him; we've known that, like, forever…. But, did you actually admit that you love him? Have you guys told _each other_?"

Jane paused, as once again, the memories of this weekend overtook her, a look of blissful happiness spreading across her face. "Yeah…" She could hear Patterson's excited squeal. "Friday night, actually. After the kiss." All at once, she was back there, remembering how they laid in bed together, felt his hand on her cheek, her breath catch in her throat. "It's strange. I mean, I know… I know I must have, but I really can't remember that feeling from… _before_ …. But then again, even if I had remembered it, I _know_ it wasn't ever as good as it is now. This feeling… it's indescribable."

"So you guys slept together, right? Because after that…" Zapata asked, almost sounding bored with the conversation now.

"Tasha!" Patterson shouted, gently slapping her on the shoulder. "We can't ask – well, you did, right?" she asked, turning back towards Jane, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Jane said nothing, ducking her head so they couldn't see her flushed cheeks.

"You did!" Zapata said excitedly. "So tell me, did he have you seeing stars?"

"Tasha, this is our boss and our friend! I don't want to know that!" Patterson exclaimed, her cheeks almost as red as Jane's at this point. When people found out about Robert and her, she'd been faced with her own round of gossip and teasing, although she was certain it was nothing compared to what Jane and Weller would be getting. She realized it was slightly hypocritical to be feeling this way, especially since they were essentially interrogating Jane right now, but that was beside the point. Either way, she really didn't want to think about them in that way. Just as long as they were happy.

"Next question, _please_!" Jane half begged, half laughed. "I'm not answering that!"

"Fine," Zapata said with a half pout.

They stayed inside talking for almost an hour more, as Jane told them about the dolphins, the frozen yogurt, the little girl who admired her tattoos, even about how they buried Kurt in the sand. Almost every story was met with more questions, most of which caused Jane to blush.

Tasha and Patterson, for their part, tried to keep it under control, remembering just to be happy for their friends. But that didn't stop them from asking questions; especially the more Jane's cheeks became flushed. It was almost like their own little lie detector, they quickly figured out how far they could push her before she shut down entirely, usually leading to a pretty good idea about how far Jane and Weller had taken things on this trip of theirs.

Soon enough though, Jane had reached her limit, insisting she actually did have some work to do. Tasha gave her a quick hug before going out to the bullpen also. After Zapata left, Jane turned to Patterson one last time. "Thanks again for the swim suit," she said, smiling, before turning and walking out the door.

Jane walked over to her desk, the one she'd finally claimed as her own. And as she sat down, she instinctually looked over at Kurt's office, smiling at him. No, she hadn't remembered being in love before. But, that didn't matter. It had been two long years, but now she knew, it was all to get to this point. And she could never forget how she felt right now.

* * *

I work pretty much exclusively with tiny humans. We don't really gossip. In fact, our conversations are more like "go to sleep little monster!" than anything in this chapter.

There's going to be one more chapter after this because I can't seem to stop writing.

Favs, Follows, and of course Reviews make my heart very happy.


	6. Saying Goodbye

Author's Note: I don't own anything related to these characters. So sorry for the delay, real life has kicked my butt and it was affecting my writing. And finally, a special thanks to **Terp4Life** for letting me play in her world these past few weeks. I'm so glad we share a brain.

* * *

It was just after 5 when Jane finished her case files for the day. It had actually been a pretty easy day, at least for them. Although Patterson had updated them about a few new tattoo connections, none had definitive leads that took them out of the office. Jane and the rest of the team had taken advantage of the quiet day to catch up on paperwork and other cases that had been neglected in recent weeks.

She quickly glanced over to Kurt's office, which she admittedly had been doing all afternoon. Sometimes she caught his eyes and they shared a quick smile, but more often than not, he had his head down, busy working. Jane fought the urge to go and talk with him. She knew she couldn't interrupt him, no matter how much she wanted to. He had his job and she had hers. And if they were going to be able to make this thing work, they had to be able to do those jobs.

Jane sighed, biting her lip as she glanced around the office. Although they hadn't made any definite plans for the evening, Jane wasn't planning on leaving without Kurt. As if on cue, she caught Tasha's eye. A playful smile on her lips, she quickly glanced towards Patterson's lab and then back to Tasha. If she had to wait, she might as well wait with her friends. Jane quickly shut down her computer, and started walking towards Patterson's lab. Moments later she heard Zapata's familiar footsteps besides hers.

"Hey," Jane said, settling on the same stool from this morning. "I'm done with work, but Kurt isn't. Do you mind if I just hang out in here for a bit?"

"Of course… wait, I mean, that's fine, you know what I mean," Patterson stumbled over the words. "Let me just save this. Ten hours later, still no clue what this pattern means."

"Yeah, about that… why were you guys here so early?" Jane glanced suspiciously.

Patterson instantly looked downward, afraid to admit exactly why they had gotten there so early this morning. But Tasha was more direct, "We had to make sure you guys didn't try and lie about what happened, so we figured we'd spy on you this morning. We just didn't know that you weren't in any rush… or that you two had such terrible poker faces. Man, I think even the janitor knows you two are in love."

"Wait, are you saying you got here at 7am just to spy on us?" Jane looked slightly horrified at the thought.

"6:30, actually," Patterson said, sheepishly. "If it helps, we're both _really happy_ for you." Jane was silent for a moment, leading Patterson to ask "You're not mad, are you?"

Jane sighed, "No? I mean, you guys are the ones who had to wake up early. But are we really that interesting?"

"This weekend I cleaned my apartment and got an oil change, so yes, you really are that interesting," replied Tasha.

Jane laughed. "Fair enough. I guess my weekend was better than that."

"Considering how much of the day you've spent looking at Weller…"

Jane blushed, ducking her head. She knew she wasn't exactly subtle, but she had hoped that maybe people wouldn't notice. That was the worst part of working with trained FBI Agents… not much got past them.

They talked for a while longer, mostly just case work and friendly banter. Jane mentioned the Ferris Wheel and promised to bring the sea glass in for them to see tomorrow, when she realized she hadn't actually asked what they did over their long weekend. Granted, her friends hadn't seemed to actually _mind_ , but she was getting a little tired of their constant obsession. "So, what did you guys do over the weekend?"

"Robert's out of town until tomorrow," Patterson sighed.

"Wait, please don't tell me you sat around feeling sorry for yourself all weekend? I didn't drag your sorry butt around Friday just so you could whine about it Monday."

Patterson couldn't help but smile. "No. I had some friends over for D&D. I just miss him, that's all."

"Good, cause I had fun," Tasha gave a little smirk.

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?"

"I met someone. Friday, right after you left Apotheke."

"Wait, you mentioned the oil change, but not the new guy? Tell us about him!"

Tasha rolled her eyes. "His name is Brandon, and he works in IT at some company in Manhattan. We hooked up; we had fun, what else is there to tell?"

"Do you like him? Are you going to see him again? When can we meet him?"

"Wait, why do you two need to meet him? I don't recall this being a group decision."

"Oh come on, you know who we're dating. Only fair we meet this Brandon. Make sure he's good enough for you."

"Not my fault. You two were the ones who decided to sleep with your coworkers." Both Jane and Patterson's cheeks flushed at this comment.

"We still need to meet him. Let's face it Tash, you haven't had the best track record when it comes to men," Patterson said, which immediately earned her a slap on the arm from Zapata. "Either way, we need a real girls' night. Not at work." Patterson pleaded. "Come on guys, I don't care about Weller or Brandon or Robert, we need a good old fashioned girls' night."

"We just had a girls' night. Remember how I dragged your sorry butt around three nights ago?" Tasha teased. "I miss Robert. Tasha please get drunk with me."

Patterson just glared at Tasha, while Jane stifled a laugh.

"Okay, okay, it has been a while. Tomorrow night?" Jane suggested.

"What about tonight? Robert's not back yet, I could use a distraction."

Jane gave a small blush as she looked in the direction of Kurt's office.

"Oh, I see," Tasha said knowingly.

"What?" Patterson asked. "What's going on?"

"She's waiting for Weller, duh. They've barely seen each other all day. I'm guessing she's going to jump him as soon as they get home."

"Tasha!" Patterson exclaimed while Jane turned bright red.

"Fine, but it's obvious she misses him! We both saw what happened when they left for lunch."

"Wait, what do you mean happened when we left for lunch?" Jane asked, suspicious.

"Nothing!" Patterson glared at Tasha. Of course they had just done a quick check of the elevator camera, but that was all. They barely saw the kiss. And if Jane had already been on their case about this morning, well, she really didn't need to know about the elevator.

Jane didn't look convinced. These two had been acting suspicious all day. "Girls' night. Tomorrow. Meet at Maxwells?"

"Sure. And maybe I'll call Brandon tonight," Tasha said with a smile. "Bye guys. And Jane? We really are just so happy for you two." And with a quick wave goodbye, Tasha walked out. She figured she would check in with Weller before she left anyways. Weller was a workaholic and probably didn't even notice it was now past six. But a quick reminder that Jane was waiting for him was sure to get him out the door. After she'd been spying on the two of them all day, that was the least she could do.

* * *

 **Terp4Life** thank you for being a wonderful friend and brilliant writer. Until our next project.

This chapter killed me and yes it is officially the last chapter. This one was hard. But if you want to know, when they have a real girls night on Tuesday, Jane does tell them everything about the beach and I mean everything. :P

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed up to now, it means a lot. And if you'd like to get in on that action, the review box is right down there. I'd love it you left me on.


End file.
